Victim attended Cork court to forgive his attacker

The victim of an assault at St Vincent’s hostel in Cork came to court to meet the man who caused him harm and to say that he forgave him — and they embraced each other in court.

Kevin Quinn, aged 33, of Curraghishal, Killeagh, Co Cork, faced sentencing on the charge of carrying out an assault on Mohammad Azfar at the hostel on Anglesea Terrace, Cork, on May 16, 2020, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Mr Azfar’s reason for coming to Cork Circuit Criminal Court for the sentencing of Kevin Quinn was simply to tell him he forgave him.

Defence barrister John Colthurst brought the interaction between the two parties to light at the sentencing hearing.

“Mr Quinn and Mr Azfar engaged with each other in the body of the court prior to the call over,” the defence barrister said.

“In the course of the conversation, Mr Quinn apologised to Mr Azfar. Most charitably, Mr Azfar told him that he had come to court to forgive him.”

Background

Detective Sergeant Eamon Feehan outlined the background to the assault, where Quinn refused to calm down despite being advised repeatedly to do so on the night.

“He did calm down momentarily, before kicking out and lashing out again,” Det Sgt Feehan said. “He assaulted the staff member. The injured party sustained a fractured rib.

“Garda Conor Manton arrived and found that Mr Quinn was not in a position to speak or stand up at the scene due to his level of intoxication. When told later what he had done, he could not believe it, and said the injured party had helped him a lot over the last two years.”

Mr Colthurst said that the accused was in the depths of alcohol addiction in 2020 when he committed this offence, but had turned his life around since then. He brought €1,750 compensation to court out of his limited resources.

The barrister said: “Mr Quinn instructs me that so good had Mr Azfar been to him, that he was in disbelief when he later came to his senses and was told what had happened and who he had harmed.”

Now working in construction, the defendant is living a prosocial life and is doing very well, Mr Colthurst said.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed a two-year suspended sentence on the accused at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.